Terry Crews felt totally "emasculated" when he was sexually assaulted at a Hollywood party.
In the wake of harassment allegations made against film producer Harvey Weinstein by numerous women, ‘The Expendables’ star bravely shared his own experience on Twitter revealing his genitals were grabbed by a male executive at a Hollywood party in 2016.
Crews, 49, has since filed a sexual assault report with the LAPD about the alleged incident and he has now further opened up about what happened during an interview with Michael Strahan on ‘Good Morning America’.
He said: "My wife and I were at an event with Adam Sandler. He’s Adam Sandler’s agent, he’s Sylvester Stallone’s agent, he’s Eddie Murphy’s agent, he’s connected to everyone I know in the business. Here’s the thing, I did not know this man. I have never had a conversation with him, ever. The first time I ever had an interaction with him was at this event."
Crews – who was a successful football player in the NFL before he became an actor – went on to say he was totally stunned when the man touched his private parts and his first instinct was to punch him in the face.
However, he somehow managed to control his anger and left the bash with his wife Rebecca King.
He added: "So I’m looking at him, and he’s staring at me and sticking his tongue out, it’s overtly sexual. It’s a party, it’s packed, and I’m looking at him like, ‘Is this a joke?’ It was so bizarre. He comes over to me, and he literally takes his hand and squeezes my genitals. I really got forceful. Pushed him back, and he starts giggling and laughing. I have never felt more emasculated, more objectified.
"When I looked at him, it was rage. I felt like I could punch a hole in his head. My wife told me three years earlier, you can never handle any situation like this with violence. When I grabbed her hand and left that party, I got in the car and almost ripped the steering wheel off. She just kept saying, ‘I’m proud of you.’ She calmed me down. She was the one who told me that this kind of thing would happen."
After hearing the Weinstein allegations come out, Crews felt compelled to share his own experience and insists it’s time that those in the film business who abuse their power and positions need to be held accountable for their actions.
Crews said: "People need to be held accountable. It’s an abuse of power. This guy, again, one of the most powerful men in Hollywood. He looked at me in the end as if, ‘Who’s going to believe you?’ I put it in the back of my head, I understood why women everywhere had to let it go. I will not be shamed. I did nothing wrong."
Terry Crews felt ’emasculated’ by sexual assault
